ULEZ Changes

Emma Best: Can you rule out ever changing the vehicle/engine types that will be due to pay the ULEZ charge in the future?

The Mayor: Please see my response to 2022/0108

Further ULEZ Expansion

Emma Best: Will you rule out an expansion of the ULEZ outside of the A406?

The Mayor: The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has been very effective in reducing air pollution and the number of older, more polluting vehicles using London’s roads.
However, it is clear that we need to go further to reduce transport emissions to protect the health of Londoners now and in the long term, achieve net-zero by 2030 and cut congestion. The cost of inaction to our economy, livelihoods, the environment and the health of Londoners would be far greater than the cost of reducing carbon emissions and air pollution.
In 2019 there were over 4,000 premature deaths attributable to air pollution – with the greatest number in London’s outer boroughs, which the ULEZ doesn’t currently cover. Over 500,000 people in London boroughs suffer from asthma and are vulnerable to the effects of toxic air and all state primary and secondary schools in London exceed World Health Organization PM2.5 guidelines. A 27 per cent reduction in vehicle kilometres is also required to meet my net zero carbon target.
For these reasons, on 4 March I announced that I have asked Transport for London to consult on expanding the ULEZ London-wide in 2023. TfL will now be commissioning an Integrated Impact Assessment and consulting on the proposals, listening closely to Londoners to finalise the details of the scheme.
Expanding ULEZ London-wide will help to protect Londoners and the economy from the damaging impact of air pollution and carbon emissions whilst keeping the number of people affected by any new charge to an absolute minimum as the cost of living increases. I am committed to helping charities, small business disabled people and Londoners on lower incomes adapt to the potential Londonwide ULEZ through as big a scrappage scheme as is feasible.
Public and stakeholder consultation on this proposal will commence in May and will include the full plans for the scheme including the emission standards, charge level and proposed mitigations.
This scheme would be a steppingstone to a new, smart, pay-per-mile road user charging scheme. I have asked TfL to consider how a new scheme could be delivered in London by the end of the decade at the latest.

Crossrail 2

Leonie Cooper: Has there been any update on the plans for Crossrail 2?

The Mayor: Crossrail 2 project development work remains on pause and Transport for London (TfL) staff are discussing with the Department for Transport (DfT) proposals to update the safeguarding directions, however we have no timeframe within which to do this. TfL remains committed to updating the 2015 directions to reflect design development work that has been undertaken since that date, however the decision to refresh the directions is ultimately a ministerial one. TfL will continue to support colleagues in Government so that progress can be made towards making this decision.

ULEZ Cameras

Andrew Boff: Will you be using ULEZ expansion cameras to enhance street safety?

The Mayor: As I said in my response to 2021/4378, work is underway with the Metropolitan Police to enable the sharing of data from the new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cameras, in compliance with data protection legislation and where this would be necessary and proportionate. Road user charging schemes such as the ULEZ, Low Emission Zone and the Congestion Charge are enforced using a network of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. These are helpful for assisting the Metropolitan Policy in preventing and detecting crime. However, they are not used for directly enhancing street safety.
Transport for London (TfL) already operates a number of schemes dedicated to improving safety on London’s roads, such as Vision Zero, the Direct Vision Standards and lowering speed limits to 20mph on many of their roads.
Regarding street safety more broadly, my London Plan calls on local authorities to produce dedicated plans for their areas at night. The GLA’s 24 Hour London Team is working with boroughs to help them create holistic night-time strategies which should ensure that issues around safety and barriers to participation are addressed. This includes developing world-leading guidance and providing dedicated expert advice to support boroughs to create diverse and inclusive night-time plans
MOPAC has also submitted bids from local authorities for the Government’s Safer Streets Fund. To date, 5 local authorities in London have been successful in the first three rounds of the Fund. Should a fourth round be announced this year, MOPAC will submit further bids for the Fund.

Violent crime

Emma Best: For each year Oct 16 – Sep 17, Oct 17 – Sep 18, Oct 18 – Sep 19, Oct 19 – Sep 20 and Oct 20 - Sep 21 please provide a breakdown of the gender of victims of violent crimes, broken down by the following crime types: knife enabled crime, knife enabled robbery, common assault, assault with injury, wounding/GBH, other violence and harassment.

The Mayor: Please see attached the requested information. The supplied notes page should be read in conjunction with the data ensure accurate interpretation.

The Mayor: 3854_Violent crime_v2 (1).xlsx

Transition Fuel for London’s Bus Fleet

Caroline Pidgeon: Although Transport for London (TfL) has a commitment to ensuring its bus fleet is zero emission by 2034, that is still 13 years away. Has any thought been given to whether liquid petroleum gas (LPG) could be used as a transition fuel for the older diesel and hybrid buses that are set to be on our roads for over a decade?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has reviewed the use of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and other similar fuels, and concluded that the costs of such a transition - for what would be a relatively short period of time until the fleet becomes zero emission - would not be value for money. With an entirely Euro VI fleet, local emissions have reduced significantly over my time in office, and the fleet of hybrid diesel double deck buses has also reduced carbon emissions. TfL’s focus now is on a transition to a fully zero emission bus fleet and, with the right funding in place, this is the best way to achieve further emission reductions over the coming years.

Custom House Crossrail Station Fire Alarm Tests

Andrew Boff: Are residents near Custom House Crossrail station being considered when testing fire alarms in the early hours?

The Mayor: The testing of systems and training of staff is necessary to ensuring the safety of the railway. Currently, testing at Custom House happens on a Wednesday. Any necessary testing of the fire panel takes place after 10:00 and before 15:00 for the consideration of residents. There is no scheduled testing taking place outside of these hours.
On two occasions in February the fire alarm was triggered in the early hours of the morning by an individual smoking in the external lift. Usually, a member of staff at the station would be able to silence the alarm. Unfortunately, on 14 February, the system encountered a fault and the station team required an engineer to attend, which took an extended period of time.
Transport for London (TfL) is very sorry for the disturbance caused by the alarm and is investigating the fault in the system to ensure that this type of incident does not happen again.

LEZ fines

Joanne McCartney: A minibus belonging to a local charity in my constituency received LEZ fines of £500. As of 1 March 2021 the LEZ emissions standards for HGVs, vans and other specialist heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes(GVW) as well as for buses, minibuses and coaches over 5 tonnes (GVW) changed from Euro IV for particulate matter (PM) to Euro VI for PM and nitrogen oxides (NOX). These vehicles need to meet the Euro VI emission standard or pay a daily charge of £100.
However, this minibus is ULEZ compliant until 2025 as it is registered as a disabled PCV. When the charity then applied for an LEZ Account, they found that they were indeed LEZ compliant, and do not have to pay the charge. Given that no changes have been made to the minibus, how can they be complaint with an LEZ permit on the basis of their disabled PCV status, but still have incurred fines on the basis of non-compliance with the standards set out above? Is there a gap in TfL systems, whereby some vehicles are receiving fines because they are not aware of the need to apply for an LEZ account? How many other vehicles might this error apply to, and how will TfL remedy this situation?

The Mayor: I would ask your constituent to contact Transport for London with details of the relevant vehicle so that TfL can urgently investigate the issues described by your constituent.
Some organisations who operate minibuses used for community transport may be eligible to register for a temporary 100 per cent discount from the ULEZ charge until 29 October 2023. A small number of these vehicles may now be subject to LEZ since the LEZ emissions standards were tightened in March 2021 and it is possible that your constituent’s vehicle falls into this category

Fraud (2)

Neil Garratt: What work are you doing to ensure London’s place as a world financial centre is not threatened by high volumes of fraud?

The Mayor: The MPS work collaboratively with the City of London Police, who are the national lead police force on fraud, within the National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit, a bespoke unit tasked with assessing the vulnerability of fraud victims and providing support to prevent repeat victims. There are 300 posts within the MPS Economic Crime team which are dedicated to investigating fraud & economic crime offences in London. Additional resources have been allocated to the MPS for the formation of a specialist financial team that develops intelligence relating to high harm fraud offenders.
My Deputy Mayor for Business and GLA officers engage regularly with key stakeholders in the financial services industry to understand potential risks and opportunities for London’s economy. Modern technology is transforming the financial sector through a wide range of banking services. With digital innovation, financial services, and policymaking all concentrated in London, we have emerged as a world-leader in FinTech.
Online fraud should be reported to Action Fraud, although businesses are encouraged to take basic steps to protect themselves online. A full range of guidance and support can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cyber-security-guidance-for-business, it includes Cyber Essentials Standard, training and online resources.
As Mayor, I want to see the Fintech sector innovating in a way which ensures that it can both continue to flourish and ensure consumers are properly informed and protected.